Show One Mormon plus one Lesbian equals acceptance Duke Helfand Los Angeles Times TUDeS LOS ANGELES Who Vho could have foreseen what would happen between the Mormon filmmaker and the lesbian priest Not Douglas Hunter even after he took a leap of faith and trained his camera on the Rev Rey Susan Russell And maybe not even Russell who had undergone a remarkable transformation from time one-time suburban soccer mom to priest and outspoken champion of gay rights But the friendship that took root when Hunter asked Russell to play the central role in his documentary oJ about gay marriage and theology would lead two people from different worlds to a new understanding of themselves and their faiths Were Ve re all telling the same stories stones about Gods God's work in our lives said Hunter 40 a father of three from Pasadena who discovered Russell over the Internet Technology might have provided the bridge but it was an ancient religious calling that drew Hunter to Russell a senior associate priest at atAll All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena Hunter felt a religious obligation to cross the same bo boundary dary Jesus is said to have traversed 2000 years ago when he spoke of embracing the outsider No group was further outside Mormon circles Hunter thought than gays and lesbians Mormonism he knew viewed the act of homosexuality as a s sin and Mormons Mormons' would become among the most generous supporters of California's Proposition 8 the ban on gay marriage that was approved by voters in the autumn It was in early 2007 after the death of a close family friend that Hunter decided it was time to put his religious ideals to the test Filmmaking provided the vehicle A freelance post- post production supervisor for television shows he had made two films a documentary about rock climbing and another short movie about a couple overcoming a marital infidelity His new film he reasoned would allow him to explore a subject considered taboo by other Mormons but which he could no longer ignore The engagement of the theother theother other was so important in the teaching of Jesus that it had to have a place of centrality in my own faith he said your reward if you only love ove people who already love you Hunter didn't know where to start so he turned to his computer He typed in random search terms Christian gay gay theology The search led to a clip of Russell on and then to her personal blog called An AnInch AnInch AnInch Inch at a Time I 1 was like Wow ow she's fabulous She's here in Pasadena She's practically a neighbor he said Hunter sent an mail e-mail to Russell in June 2007 explaining that he wanted to tomake tomake tomake make a short documentary about the personal and spiritual challenges of gay marriage The finished product he said would be submitted to an international documentary project that would broadly address the meaning of citizenship Russell 54 was vas accustomed to interview requests in her role as president of Integrity USA an advocacy group for gay Episcopalians She had few qualms about sharing the details of her personal story to further her cause With a command of Christian theology and a fearless streak she had become a national emblem in the struggle for gay equality in the Episcopal Church a spiky haired priest in a clerical collar who turned up on CNN Q and news programs such as ABCs ABC's Good Morning America A few weeks after Hunters Hunter's mail e-mail arrived Russell agreed to meet himin him himin himin in her office at All Saints That first meeting was about getting my foot in the thedoor thedoor thedoor door and letting her know I was for real Hunter recalled By August 2007 Russell was sitting through several hours of interviews and camera shots at the church That material indeed the priest herself would become the heart Hunters Hunter's of minute 19 film The Constant Process which also features family pictures including a snapshot of a smiling Russell and her ex- ex husband on their wedding day cutting their cake In the film Russell tells how after college she settled into a privileged life in hi Ventura up the coast f from om Los Angeles with her banker husband and two young sons There were tennis and sailing outings on the weekends and a golden retriever at home But Russell felt strangely agitated I hI had this sense that I had everything I ever wanted you know this really blessed life and then I had this this' imploding thought in my head Is that enough she says in the film I 1 look back on that moment as the beginning of my spiritual U Russell felt a call to the ministry As she grew more spiritual l however her marriage deteriorated The turning point came during a religious conference in Virginia where Russell met a woman who also was struggling with a troubled relationship but with a female partner Russell and her new friend talked at length about their lives When the woman asked if Russell might begay be begay begay gay Russell answered Im quite sure Im I'm not gay But the question weighed on her Why hadn't she ever entertained the possibility Was Vas there something inherently wrong Tong with being gay The next day during a sen service ce at the National Cathedral in Washington Russell heard a voice in her head This is how I made you it said Now I need to you to go back and be the priest I made you to be The words seemed so loud that Russell looked around to see if anyone else heard themI them I walked out of that sen service ce changed she says in the film filin It hIt was just really clear to me that my life didn't look like what I thought it did So S for me the coming- coming out experience really had nothing to do with th a sexual act or even a relationship or a person she adds It was about really finally understanding my fullest deepest self and getting all the pieces in place As Russell told her story to Hunter he realized that he wasn't just filming he was learning from her He was moved especially by the priests priest's concept of romantic love with its emphasis on spiritual and emotional intimacy as a precursor jo t physical expression That resonated with me and gave me a renewed appreciation of my relationship with my wife he said Hunter also felt his empathy growing for gays and lesbians especially friends who ho felt compelled to hide their sexual orientation Perhaps that was because he too held helda a secret Hunter had been abused sexually as a child by two neighbors in his native Philadelphia Philadelphia- He knew what it was like to hide a part of himself and pretend his life was in order I hI kept that locked away he said Something else was occurring Hunter and Russell were becoming friends As Election Day neared in November Hunter One ne One Continued on One One A Continued from began showing up at No Noon on 8 rallies alongside longside his documentary subject Russells Russell's initial curiosity about Hunter gave way to admiration particularly arly over his decision to vote against the gay marriage ban and to speak out against it She realized that she was sharing in his transformation And that filled her with a sense of wonder It isn't a risk for a priest from All Saints to go to to a a Prop 8 demonstration but it is for a devout straight Mormon father of three Russell said It just speaks volumes about how deeply Douglas walks the talk in terms of really putting hi his faith into action Hunter had to balance his new friendship against his obligation to his church whoso whose members at the urging of church leaders were contributing millions of dollars to help pass the ban Knowing he was w walking the finest of lines he told only a few close Mormon friends about his opposition to the ban and about his documentary even as it debuted last fall at a gay and lesbian film festival in Chicago The project also will be shown at a film festival in Pomona about 35 miles east of Los Angeles in April As a Mormon I have havea a responsibility and commitment to listen to my church leaders he said At Atthe Atthe Atthe the same time listening to tomy tomy tomy my church leaders does not absolve me of the ethical responsibility to listen to the voice of the other Hunter said he hoped the film would spark a thoughtful conversation about acceptance There arc some things that Mormons are going to find challenging in the film such as a lesbian priest saying that God is working through her he said I think that is a good point of discussion And so he stayed his course but not without turmoil as tensions grew over Mormon support for forthe forthe forthe the gay marriage ban Just days before the Nov 4 election Hunter joined Russell for an interfaith service inside the ornate sanctuary of St. St Johns John's Episcopal Cathedral in Los Angeles One by one speakers took the stage to reflect on the proposed ban banon banon banon on sex same-sex marriage Finally Hunter stepped forward He spoke about compassion and about the universality of love If as a straight man I find the tools for strengthening my marriage in the relationships of sex same-sex couples and of a dear friend can I deny them a fundamental right that I benefit from and cherish he asked The answer is no l AT J M I II I r I 4 y Christina louse House I Douglas Hunter left and his friend Rev Susan Russell at All Saints Church in Pasadena Calif |